According to a city press release, the Technology of the Capital City of Prague (THMP) will aim to build 350 public electric car charging station poles in 2021, in addition to the 47 already fitted in the Prague 2-Vinohrady district. The poles will need to be fitted with EV-ready devices. In Vinohrady, 13 out of the 47 are usable as charging stations for electric cars.
“It is clear that this will not be the only way to charge e-mobility in Prague, but it’s a great advantage and has the possibility of mass coverage in a relatively short time,” said city councilor, Jan Chabr. Chabr believes that within the next six years, 3000 to 6000 public stations could be available for use.
The city council and THMP are confident that the project is cost efficient. “If THMP had built this network without synergies with Prague Energy during the mentioned six years, the costs would have climbed to 1.3 billion crowns. This solution will lead to significant savings, namely, up to 500 million. The costly part of the expansion of charging points is not only on the mast, but especially below the surface,” added the Chairman of the Board of Directors of THMP, Tomáš Jílek.
The overall cost of 800 million crowns includes the cost of the chargers, modernization of public electricity, and replacement of the cable network. “Apart from the fact that the new poles are ready for electromobility, they also replace sodium luminaires with LED luminaires. They are modern and have lower consumption. In the affected streets, for example, we will be able to reduce the intensity of electricity depending on external conditions or in less exposed times,” noted Chabr.
Eight other Prague districts, Lhotka, Veleslavín, Černý Most, Háje, Kamýk, Velká Ohrada, Chodovec, and Kobylisy, are preparing for the new infrastructure upgrade next year.
